THE TIGER AND THE TORCH look book

ONE BUILDING REDUCED TO

ONE BUILDING REDUCED TO BRICKS The first new building constructed on the Christiansburg Industrial Institute (CII) campus was the Industrial Shop Building (1901) 32 . At CII the students practiced what they learned in class to exemplify leadership among their peers and tradesmen in the area. The shop was actively in use while the school was open; however, upon closure and auction the building went unused for many years. The purchaser of a large portion of the campus later gifted some of it to the Christiansburg Institute Alumni Association (CIAA). To allow for additional land development, this building was moved from its original location to another section of the property owned by CIAA. Due to decades of non-use and because of the move, the building suffered from rapid deterioration and the damage was quite immense. The leadership of CI’s non-profit boards had to make the difficult decision to demolish the building. Only the chimney bricks were salvaged. In 2005 CIAA granted historic easements 33 to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources 34 . This is especially important as Christiansburg, VA, continues to grow and develop. These easements will help preserve the cultural and architectural integrity of the remaining campus structure that is awaiting renovation. Photo Credits: Back View of the Industrial Shop Building (top) and Students Working in the Industrial Shop Building (bottom) from The John F. Banks Papers, Virginia State University Special Collections THETIGER & THETORCH Page | 34